Martha Joy Hamm Spencer

1945 - 2025

Martha "Ellie" Joy Hamm Spencer has engaged in her ultimate escapade. She had a strong heart to the very end. Ellie passed away on the full moon of January 13, 2025, surrounded by family and friends.

Ellie was born November 24, 1945, in Evanston, Illinois, but she spent her childhood stirring up merry mischief on Rocky Run farm in McLean, VA. She attended The Potomac School where she made friendships that would last her lifetime. She and Daphne vom Baur would ride through the countryside, often double bareback on her horse, Pageboy, one holding the reins while the other read from a book out loud to study for school. Her sister, Julie Finley, started calling her "Ellie" after the storybook character, Eloise, and it stuck. She went on to attend Miss Porter's School in Farmington, CT, graduating in 1963. The family had sold the farm and moved to Georgetown, while Ellie spent summers sailing her little flattop Sailfish around the Martha's Vineyard sound.

Ellie studied political science at Boston University ('67), influenced by professors such as Howard Zinn. She wasn't a political activist, but she was sensitive to the world and served as inspiration for the pivotal character "Ellie Rector" in Nicholas van Hoffman's novel, "Two, Three, Many More". After academia, she went on to take a position at the Washington Post as secretary to the editorial page editor, Philip Geyelin. During that time, Ellie still made room for adventure, renting cars and driving around places like Ethiopia, Kenya and the Bamiyan Valley of Afghanistan with her equally intrepid friend, Gretchen Theobald. Eventually she decided that her true happiness was with animals and nature, so she moved out to Crest Hill in Virginia to appreciate simpler joys: her horses, chickens, and driving country roads in her little MG with her beloved Afghan hound, Ofeote, sitting shotgun. She became very active in the Casanova Hunt, and later told countless stories of amusement and thrill. She enriched her life with an interest in land conservation and worked for the Piedmont Environmental Council during its inception.

Ellie was writing for the Fauquier Democrat when a man, Harold Spencer, called to politely inform her that she had reported something inaccurately. She married the long-time Warrentonian in 1978 at Leeds Parish, merging their pack of dogs and gaining beloved stepchildren, Will, Hawes, and Sarah. Ellie and Harold raised two children of their own on a farm outside town, where she spent the rest of her days honoring her love and respect for animals, the land, and her community.

Ellie's mother had always told her that the best kind of service is that which you do locally, and Ellie took that advice to heart. She was a member of the Warrenton Garden Club and served on the board of the Warrenton Antiquarian Society for many years, working with incredible groups of members whom she greatly admired and cherished. Ellie also served on the board of the Fauquier SPCA for as long as anyone can remember, forging meaningful relationships and supporting a cause for which she cared deeply.

Whether she was wrangling cattle on a ranch in British Columbia, learning to fly aerobatics, road tripping through the Serengeti, or enjoying a sunset on Lambert's Cove beach, Ellie lived a spirited life. Joy was her middle name, and it suited her. She was genuinely kind and deeply understanding, forgiving, and accepting of people as they are. It didn't matter if you hadn't seen or heard from her in a while, because she connected as if no time had passed. She was a wonderful mother, which was her favorite raison d'être. She is survived by her sister, Julie Finley; her daughter, Kate; her son, John, his wife, Shannon, and grandchildren, Kian and Beatrice. A memorial will be held on the farm in the spring, details to follow. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Fauquier SPCA, Warrenton Antiquarian Society, and the Piedmont Environmental Council.